A Fable with a Wolf Tattoo
by cknightdance
Summary: The Axe seemed like it was halfway through his skull, but it wasn't enough. He needs to suffer more. For what he did to this girl. For what he did to Bigby. But most of all. . .what he did to me. I grabbed one of my daggers out of my boot with one knee on either side of him. I raised my dagger and plunged it into his back. Over and over.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Wolf Among Us" / the comic "Fables" or any of the characters in them. I also do not own the movie that I got my title from, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".**

**This story is rated "M" for Mature. Content includes intense violence, blood, gore, strong language and slight sexual content. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**

**Hey guys! I realized how horrible this chapter was edited. So, I just recently got a new editor and asked him to fix up this chapter! Thank you I.C.! you're the best!**

**I'm also sorry for the delay on the second chapter. At first I hit a writer's block, I had absolutely no clue how to continue it. But then I went in for surgery and ran into a lot of complications and just had no time to write. But I'm better now! Yay! So now I'm getting back into the kick of things. Sadly, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. With my hospital issues I missed a lot of school. But it will be up ASAP!**

**Hope you all Enjoy this new and improved chapter! ^·^**

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**Prologue:**

Being here, it's so difficult, too difficult in fact. Even after centuries of trying to get use to this land, I just don't. I want to take my dagger, slice my throat and send my soul to. . .well, wherever the hell my soul would go. There's nothing but heartache here. There's no Woodsman coming to save a girl and grandmother from the Big Bad Wolf. There's no Princes sweeping a commoner girl off her feet and turning her into a Princess. They aren't real, and neither is their 'Happily Ever After'.

Despite all the pain that happens to me daily, it was a relief to feel safe for once in my life. Even if it only lasted a little while. There's no evil witch filling kids up with candy and then trying to eat them. There's no wolf who eats a whole family of pigs or a common girl and her grandmother. There's not a switch in your head telling you to look behind you, watch the trees carefully, tread lightly and quietly. Not here. Not till recently.

Now the events that happened a day, a week a month ago - I'm really sure anymore, time just seemed to fuse together -, don't make me feel safe. I have to constantly look behind me to make sure nothing's going to happen. So now there's no 'Happily Ever After' and there's no way to feel safe. This is exactly what I needed in this strange Mundane world.

The days that turned my life around happened what seemed like a lifetime ago, yet I'm still able to remember it clear as day.

The taxi ride. Bigby. The Woodsman. The girl. Snow. The mirror. All of it, playing over and over again as I try wrapping it around my head of the events that lead me to this point and time of my life. I have all the pieces put together into one masterpiece, yet I don't understand the picture. I need something else, more pieces of information to understand everything that has happened.

So, let's see, where do I start?

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**Rubie**

Bigby and I were sitting in a taxi going to go deal with The Woodsman, a man who became a total dick when he drank too much. He was 'smashing the whole apartment complex apart', if I recall Mr. Toads words correctly. So, the sheriff and deputy of the town have to go and deal with his drunken ass. The first time Bigby and The Woodsman fought. Well, since The Woodsman cut Bigby open and filled him with stones, throwing him in the river afterwards.

Bigby grumbled quietly to himself, either out of annoyance or being pissed off._ I guess I really can't blame him,_ I thought to myself, _Mr. Toad is too poor to buy himself and his child a glamer, and it's really starting to piss both of us off._

I sighed heavily before I looked out of the car window at the dead streets of New York City. This place was filled with people during the day, but at night they're like a rat hiding in the depths of a sewer. _But today I don't blame the Mundies wanting to hide in the comfort of their home. It feels like 150° with the humidity and everything. This summer has not been the nicest on the New Yorkers, or us in Fabletown._

Bigby shifted in his seat uncomfortably. I glanced at him through the corner of my eye. He's_ probably too hot in what he's wearing today._ He was wearing his usual white dress shirt, the sleeves were pulled up to just above his elbows, cheap black tie and black slacks._ Doesn't he ever get sick of the same outfit day after day?_

I, on the other hand, have to change my outfit at least once a week, sometimes two, depending on the job Bigby and I have to deal with. My jet black hair was pulled back in a ponytail that reached the bottom of my shoulder blade, I was in a dark red tank top, a backpack - for a. . ."hobby" that I had -, black shorts and my favorite combat boots. Ya know, good for stashing a dagger or two in a boot.

I returned my gaze to the empty streets. There was nothing but darkness and a sudden lamp light every so often. We rode down the streets for a moment and my eyes were instantly pulled the the glow of the pink and blue LED lights of the Pudding 'N' Pie, I'm_ glad that I have the job that I do, it beats being a stripper. Although, I wish I could help them get a better job, but I know I can't do that. They either won't listen to me, thinking I'm crazy trying to help them, or they are that type of person and like their job._ I sighed._ We passed that, so, about another five minutes in this awkward, silenced filled car, yey._ I thought with sarcasm._ Well, maybe not so awkward, we're just preparing ourselves to get The Woodsman to calm down. Right? Or maybe it's having to threaten Toad to get a glamor or go to the farm. I hate doing that to people, the threatening. I'm a deputy, I'm suppose to help people, not scare the hell out of them. Although, what he is doing is against the law, so I shouldn't feel bad. Right? But he has a kid, a kid that I cannot just send to the farm for no good reason. It's his father's fault he doesn't have a glamor, and because of that the kid has to be punished? No that's not right at all. Toad should stop spending money on unnecessary things and at the **very least** get** his boy** a **glamor**!_

"Hey, you doin' alright over there?" Bigby's voice cut through the silence.

The sudden noise startled me, making me jump a little - too little to notice. I was so lost in thought I hadn't even realized that I was clenching my hands so hard that my knuckles were turning white, or that my jaw was locked tight, turning my face to stone. I looked at him, his eyebrows were cocked and his eyes were filled completely with concern.

I repeated the question in my head again. _Am I doing alright?_ It seemed like such an easy thing to answer yet, I had no idea how to put it into words. _Am I doing alright?_ I kept repeating in my head, that was until i came up with a final conclusion _. . .No. . . no I'm not, I have to deal with The Woodsman who's drunk out of his ass, like the last time I saw him. Toad was making it entirely impossible for me not to hate him for the shit he's putting his kid through. Yelling at his child unnecessarily, not giving his kid a glamor, maybe even sending on the course of going to the farm. It is totally unfair, that child deserves more! I was lost in thought again_. My hand clenched tighter than what it was a few moments before, if that was even possible. My jaw set even tighter and my curvy lips were now plastered into a straight line.

Bigby moved his hand to where mine was and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was a small gesture but it calmed my body down. "Hey, I know what you're thinking. You go through it every time we're on our way to Toads. But you know we can't do anything about it."

The conversation seemed nice at first but as he said the last sentence my heart clenched._ You have little faith in what I can do, Bigby._ "Yeah, I know." I managed to say just above a whisper. Trying to sound heartbroken even though I've mustered up a plan to help T.J. -Toad Jr.

Bigby patted my hand gently before he retreated his hand and fished into his back pocket, pulling out his carton of Huff n' Puff cigarettes and his lighter. He hit the carton and a single cigarette popped out of the hole at the top. He took it in his mouth setting the carton back to his pocket before he lit the cigarette. I just rolled my eyes and accidentally let out a grumble of disbelief.

"What's the matter Rubie? Can't stand my smoking?" He said with a knowing grin. My only response was a heavy sigh and rolling down my window, trying to prevent any nausea. "Oh, I forgot _Little Red_ is too much of a _little kid_ to try a smoke."

I felt the anger that was already boiling in me turn into lava. My hand instantly held a dagger and I was on top of him, my knife just a sliver away from touching his exposed neck. "Call me that again and you _will_ regret it." I growled through clenched teeth.

He chuckled out of satisfaction. "Sorry Rubie, I know you hate the nickname the Mundies gave you." He patted my upper arm expecting me to get off, but I stayed put. I was just so mad at everything that this pissed me off over the edge. Bigby licked his lips and looked nervously at where the knife was then back up at me. "Uh, Rubie? You know silver can kill me, right?" He asked.

I let out a heavy sigh as I rolled off of him and back to my side of the car. I clenched my knife hard and focused on breathing._ Why the Hell am I so pissed off? Bigby always teases me like this. I never reacted the way I just did, but why was that the final straw? I thought for a moment. Oh yeah, maybe it's because I lost my grandmother before I was exiled from my homeland, the Enchanted Forest. Then having to threaten people to get a glamor. Then getting harassed by Crane. Then dealing with the Goddamn Woodsman, the guy who claims he saved my life when all he did was scar me for life, 'cause he was so fucking drunk!_ That's when I lost it. I just tossed the dagger at the passenger seat, it pierced through the cotton fabric easily and it stayed in its spot un-moving, and I just looked at my dagger like it was a demon from Hell.

Bigby took a long drag of his cigarette before he looked at me, to the dagger then back to me. "Are you satisfied? You killed the God damn chair Red." He said with a dull tone.

"I'm hunky-dory." I said with a hint of sarcasm, because I still had bitterness imbedded into my soul for what happened in the little cottage in the Enchanted Forest. I grabbed my dagger out of the seat and put it back into my boot.

I looked up out the window. We finally arrived to Toad's apartment._ Maybe I shouldn't be so eager to get out of the taxi. I have to deal with threatening Toad and then the Woodsman. But we need to get this done and over with._ The taxi eased to a stop at the curb so Bigby and I could get out. We slammed our doors shut and I walked across the street with Bigby right behind me.

We stopped and stared at the complex, preparing ourselves for another night of 'excitement'. Bigby and I sighed heavily, looking at the complex with utter irritation. He grumbled before he spat out his cigarette and stomping on it before he started to head towards the front door.

Within a flash of a second my head was spinning_. I don't want to face Toad. I CAN'T face Toad. If I do I might snap, I might hit him, in front of his own son. Now that won't only make Toad hate me, it will scare T.J. the only person - other than Snow and Bigby- who doesn't hate me, fear me. It will also piss Toad off and he'll take it out on his son. I can't let that happen. I **CAN NOT** let that happen._

Before Bigby took a step closer to the door I grabbed a hold of his left arm in a viper-like grip, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around and stared at me with confusion in his eyes. I swallowed searching his dark brown irises trying to find the words I wanted to say._ What could I say? He'll probably say no to everything I suggest. _ "Hey, uh, Bigby, do you think you can deal with Toad?"

"And, what, have you deal with the Woodsman alone? Not a chance." He basically cut me off and began to walk again.

I held onto his arm tighter and he stopped walking. He turned and looked at me with annoyance and I returned his gaze with a glar. "I am not that pathetic little girl in the Mundies story Bigby, I can take care of myself." I said coldly. I cleared my throat, hoping it would get rid of any anger so I'd have a better chance of convincing Bigby._ Don't let him know you're soft, don't let him know that you have a score to settle with The Woodsman._ "I just. . . I want to try and take down The Woodsman without your help. Test my strength."

"Test your strength? Red, what the hell are you talking about?"

Shit, think of something. "Oh come on Bigby. You've saved me from getting beaten by The Woodsman since day one of him getting drunk."

"You must be thinking of the wrong story Red. Because if i recall corectly, it was The Woodsman who saved you from me."

_Shit, he doesn't know what The Woodsman did to me after he dumped his body in the river. . .does he?_ "You don't know the whole story then. I need to get even with him. So, I've been working out, preparing myself for the day to deal with him. . .alone."_ It's alright you didn't tell the whole truth. . .he doesn't know what happened that night after The Woodsman "killed" him and he doesn't need to. . .nobody needs to._ I looked in the depths of his eyes with grief washing over me._ Damnit Bigby I'm sorry, please forgive me. I just don't want you to know I have a soft side or what happened that night._

He just stared at me in disbelief and. . .something that I couldn't recognize. He sighed heavily before his gaze dropped from my face to our feet. His face was twisted into concentration. Trying to decide if I should go upstairs alone or wait back with him. I hoped and prayed to anyone who was listening that I could go upstairs alone. We stood there for several seconds until he sighed heavily. "Alright, go ahead, but only talk to him, I don't want you to get hurt." He said with grief washing over his face. His brown eyes locked with my electric blue eyes. "Now go before I change my mind."

My face grew a small smile at his answer. I let go of his arm and opened the door like I owned the place. Once I walked in, I saw Mr. Toad, not in a glamor, and my happy moment instantly deflated. _Damnit Toad_. I cursed in my head. "Hello Toad. " I said colder than I meant to. When I spoke he stiffened and mumbled a curse word that did quite reach my ears. My eyes moved to the door of Toads apartment and I saw a little head poking out the small crack. "Hi T.J." I said with a smile as I headed up the stairs.

"Deputy Red! Sheriff Bigby!" I heard Toad say in a fake excited voice.

As I headed up the creaky stairs of the complex I let out a sigh of relief not having to to deal with Toad today.

I was at the top of the stairs when I heard a big crash of glass. I looked down the stairs and Bigby was still talking to Toad about getting a glamor. I turned around and faced the door that the noise came from and began to walk towards it, hoping to deal with this as civil as possible.

". . .hey you're gonna know who I fuckin' am. You hear me? Hey! Look at me!" I heard the Woodsman say from a room at the end of the hall. _Alright Rubie time to get your shit together._

"Just stop okay? You're drunk!" A girl's voice called. _A civilian? Just what I needed._ "Let go." She said sternly.

_Fuck_. I walked up to the door, a foot or so away, and kicked it down. I stood there in the doorway waiting for The Woodsman to come after me, but he didn't. He was holding a beautiful girls wrist and smacked her across the face. She stumbled backwards, catching herself on the foot of the bed.

Within a second I pulled out one of my daggers and threw it at The Woodsman's hand. The dagger caught his right palm pinning it to the wall.

He screamed in pain as I ran up to him and punched him straight in the nose.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" The Woodsman hollered. "I saved your goddamn life!"

I glared at him. "Well asshole times have changed." I said looking at him head to toe. "Haven't they? Time to get even. . .Or did you forget what you did to me after you 'killed' The Big Bad Wolf?" I remarked quietly so the girl didn't hear me.

"You got something on your face. . ." The girl said like everything was right in the world. I looked from her to The Woodsman. _Something on his face? What is she talking about?_

"The fuck you talking about you stupid cu-" he was cut off by the girl spitting blood on the bridge of his nose.

He fought against the hold I had on him and growled like a Goddamned animal. "What the _fuck_ is going on? And why did you hit her?" I scream trying to get answers without an injury.

That's when he head butted me. I staggered backwards holding my forehead. He took a hold of my dagger in his left hand, pulling it out of his right hand. I barely got rid of the dizziness that he caused and he was already trying to stab me with my dagger. I ducked under his arm and grabbed it. I held him in a pressure point as I took my dagger back and threw him into a sink that was just across the room.

His head hit the sink and it broke on impact. _Damn I'm stronger than I look, huh?_ I praised myself. When he stood up again he was holding what looked like an old Razor from the early 1900's. I ducked under him as he moved to cut me with it. He turned around and began to slice left and right while I dogged every blow.

He dropped the razor and advanced towards me with such speed I didn't know how to react. His hands were suddenly grasping me by the neck, cutting off all of the oxygen from entering my lungs. I struggled with the hands wrapped tightly around my throat, I was trying to pry him off my neck but I was failing miserably. I could see black spots appear in my vision, telling me I needed to do something quickly. I tried kicking him but that didn't work, I was too weak. I let go of his hands and began to push his face up with my left hand. I could barely see anything but once I thought his neck was in view I punched that spot with all of the power I could gather. To my surprise he let go of me clutching where I punched him. I fell to the floor on all fours coughing like a maniac, trying to take in all of the oxygen that I didn't have moments ago.

That's when I heard heavy footsteps. I looked up and it was The Woodsman charging towards me, his eyes were locked on me. I was still on all fours unable to do anything, except for cough, waiting for the blow. When The Woodsman was a few inches away, my body stiffened. Then I saw Bigby's body crash into The Woodsman, forcing his body to flip over the couch.

Bigby turned and looked at me. "What the fuck Red! I just said to talk to the guy!" I tried to speak, but my only reply was more coughing. He turned around to face the couch, "Alright Woodsman, the fuck is going-" before he could finish his sentence, the couch was shoved into his stomach. He staggered backwards holding where the couch hit him.

The Woodsman stood up and pushed the couch out of his way. "What the fuck are you gonna do, huh?" He stood there waiting for Bigby to answer, but he took his stance waiting for The Woodsman to attack. "Get the fuck outta the way, before you get the axe again." The Woodsman commented coldly.

_Axe? He brought his axe here? I thought he left it in the Enchanted forest. Shit!_ "You're drunk alright. Think this through, because I won't have any other choice but to _put you down_." Bigby stated strongly.

"Put me down?! You gotta shit fuckin' memory wolf. That's not how it went last time."

"This isn't last time." Bigby remarked before The Woodsman ran up to Bigby throwing a punch at his face. He caught it and held it behind his back and threw him across the room into a bookshelf. The Woodsman let out a painful oaf at the impact. Bigby didn't waist any time, he ran over to The Woodsman and punched him square in the jaw then began to pound his face into the wooden bookshelf over and over again.

Bigby picked him up by his shirt and threw him to the middle of the floor. The Woodsman recovered quickly, only shaking his head a little to clear his head. He moved backwards and grabbed his axe that was leaning against the wall. The same one that cut Bigby open to saved me from the 'Big Bad Wolf's' stomach. Oh no. I said in disbelief as I stood up on legs like Jello. My breathing was back to normal, but it was hard to concentrate on anything with almost being strangled to death.

When I looked over at Bigby and The Woodsman, they were playing tug of war with the axe. Until Bigby got smart and shoved the axe back at The Woodsman. He let go and held onto his stomach, which gave Bigby the upper hand and he smacked the side of the ax to his jaw, sending a loud crack into the room.

Bigby bent over and breathed heavily while The Woodsman laid motionless on the floor. I blinked quickly over and over, trying to get rid of my tunnel vision as I walked around The Woodsman and towards the man who saved me while I was down. I stopped in front of Bigby, a little too dizzy to do anything at that moment but stare at him. His head was down and he was trying to calm his breathing.

I put my hand on his shoulder, and tried to make nice gesture. His body tensed up as he stood to his full height I dropped my hand to my side, his eyes were closed, his face was hard as stone. When he opened his eyes I felt smaller compared to him than I already was. The eyes that I was looking into held some emotion that I never saw reach his features, it was even different than the one he gave me earlier. Although his face was filled with anger, I gave him a coy smile. "Hey, look, the 'Big Bad Wolf' saved me from The Woodsman. . .how ironic. . .right?"

He quickly grabbed my upper arms with both hands and looked deeply into my eyes. My heart started pumping blood to my ears I couldn't hear anything. I looked at him with concern and complete confusion._ Why are you holding me like this? Why do you keep looking at me with expressions that I have never seen on your face, **ever**?_ I saw Bigby's lips moving but could hear a single word that left his mouth. I swallowed hard trying to calm my heart so I could hear what he was saying.

". . .hurt?" Was the only thing I heard. I swallowed again before I spoke. "I. . .I couldn't hear anything. W-what?"

"Damnit Rubie! Can you see properly? Is your breathing alright? Are you hurt?"

I looked at his hand on my arm, his fingers were digging deeply into my skin, I'm surprised I hadn't started bleeding. I spoke gently. "Uh Bigby-"

"What?" He snapped.

"_You're_ hurting me."

He instantly let go of me and my hands flew to my arm. _Damnit Bigby, that hurt_.

He scratched the back of his neck, eyes filled with regret and his cheeks were flushed. _His cheeks are flushed? Why-why are his cheeks flushed?_ He mumbled some what of an apology before he turned around and began to talk to the girl. Her hair was jet black cut up to her chin, and bruises were covering her from head to toe."You should probably get outta here." He said to her.

"Look, I'm not leaving until I get what's mime." She replied as I came to stand next to Bigby.

I turned around at the sound of The Woodsman moving. "Yug ain't getting shit, bitch." He said with a really bad. . .slur?

_Yep his jaw is definitely broken._ "How 'bout you shut your fuckin' pie-hole Woodsman."

"Wad tha fugh are yugh even duing here? Why are yugh with tha bad guy? Huh! I saved yughr fughing life yugh stubid bitch!"

My blood began to boil again. I stormed over to him, bent down to his level and grabbed the neck of his shirt. "Saved me? Saved me!? Yes you got me out of his stomach!" I gestured to Bigby. "But you stole something from me!"

He looked at me confused. "Da fugh yugh talging about bitch?"

_The fuck am I talking about?!_ My heart began to pump, a flame of anger came alive within me. "The thing that made my grandmother fear my life! The thing that made me want to learn how to fight so I could defend myself! And then one day beating your ass to the ground!" He looked at me with total confusion._ Damn you, you drunken idiot!_ I shoving him back to the ground. I stood up with fists clenched and a face like stone. I mumbled a curse to him before I kicked his ribs sending a painful grunt into the quiet room.

"Yugh stubid bitch! I'll fughing, fugh yugh in da ground!"

My vision turned red and I was ready to start throwing punches. But Bigby was suddenly in between The Woodsman and I. "Say that word one more time." He threatened.

The Woodsman looked confused and was holding onto his jaw. "Wad? Bitch?"

Without any warning Bigby kicked The Woodsman in the jaw, breaking it even more. My anger lessened and my heart began to warm up._ Did he just stand up for me? Did he do it to kick his ass for the hell of it or was it for me? Or did he just want to impress that another girl._ My heart darkened again at my last thought. "What. Did. I. Say?" Bigby asked coldly. The Woodsman mumbled a curse as Bigby turned to me. He looked into my eyes as he gently took a hold of my upper arms. "Are you okay? What happened, ya know, all those years ago?" He asked gently in a hushed tone.

I looked over at the girl, then my gaze returned to Bigby. "I really don't want to talked about it right now." I replied barely above a whisper. Tears were beginning to weld up in my eyes and I blinked rapidly hoping to hold them back._ I really don't need to be crying right now. _He nodded, understanding that I needed my space.

"Yugh brogh ma jaw yugh bastard!"

"And still you talk." Bigby remarked annoyed. He maneuvered around me to where the girl was. He sighed heavily, "Alright, what the hell is going on here? Why was he hitting you?"

"A little misunderstanding, that turned into a real shit show. . . Don't worry you saw the best bits."

"Ders more whar dat came from, gurly." The Woodsman cut in.

"Knock it off!" Bigby and I said annoyed in unison.

The girl rolled her eyes, seeming irritated. "Look, this is just the start of a shity night for me. I just need the money he owns me then I can go."

Bigby stood there unsure of what to say now, so, I cut in as I walked to stand next to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm hunky-dory." She snapped back at me before she took a deep breath. "Thanks for asking." She said nicely.

Now Bigby was speaking. "What's your name?"

"Whatever you want it to be handsome."

"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"Sorry sheriff, I don't mean to add more difficulties to your night." She replied with a smile.

"Why was he hitting you?"

She paused for a second then sighed. "He asked if I knew who he was, I said I didn't. He started beating me, then she showed up and started beating on him, then you showed up and started beating on him." She turned to The Woodsman. "That about cover it hon?"

"I'm The Woodsman you whore." He said coldly. He gestured to me. "I saved Little Red's life from diz-diz monster!" _He did not just call me Little Red_! He gestured to Bigby. "I cut diz fugher opan and filled hiz bewlly full of-" he cut himself off by cracking his jaw back in place and stood up. "stones! And threw him in the fucking river! That's who the fuck I am. You stupid bitch!"

I was about to blow. He _calls me Little Red, then claims to have saved me, then insults Bigby, then says the word bitch to that girl again! Oh yeah, he is good as dead!_ My hands were clenched and was ready to run over to him and beat him senseless. _He won't be able to walk for weeks._

I was about to charge him when Bigby stepped forward. "Only _I_ get to call her Little Red." He began to approach him in an accelerating speed. "And what did I say about that word?" He was at full speed when he collided with The Woodsman, and they both went tumbling out the window.

My anger instantly deflated. "**BIGBY**!" I ran over to the window and saw that he landed on top of a yellow car while The Woodsman landed a few feet away from the car. My breathing was now short gasps of air. _He's not breathing! Why isn't he breathing!_ "Bigby!" I was frozen, staring at his body in disbelief._ My partner died. . .No, my friend, just died, on my watch. . .how is that even fucking possible I thought-_ I cut myself short when I hear Bigby grumble in pain. I let go of a breath that I didn't know I was holding. He okay, he's alright.

I turned around and finally got a good look at the room that we destroyed. There was broken. . .stuff just everywhere. Hardly anything that remained for my new "hobby". I walked over to where The Woodsman dropped the razor. I slipped off my backpack. I sat it on the ground as I bent down and picked the razor up._ Hmph, beautiful design. . .Sharp blade. . . No rust, I'd say I could sell this for. . .25 - 30 bucks._

I folded the blade back up and was about to put it into a pocket of my backpack when I heard a shuffle behind me. _Shhhhhit, she's still in here._ I stood to face her with the razor still in my hand. I held it up for her to see it. "Mind if I take this?"

"This isn't my crap, I don't care."

I nodded and put it into a pocket. I grabbed my backpack and walked where all of the broken crap was, hoping there was something to salvage from the rubble. I heard the girl shuffle until she was behind me._ Broken coffee mug. Broken figurine. Damnit! There ain't shit here!_ I stood up frustrated and spun around. The girl was a foot or so away from me. She was looking at me with sadness written all over her face. I cleared my throat. "What is it? Are you okay?"

She took in a deep breath. "I should be asking you that." She swallowed. "You almost died, and. . .and-" she sighed. ". . .and I know vaguely of what happened to you." My face fell and I stopped breathing._ How the hell could you possibly know that?_ "I'm sorry he did that to you, how old were you? . . . Like fif-"

"I was sixteen turning seventeen that next week." I cut her off._ Please stop._ I wanted to beg he_r. It's still too painful._

I was silent for a few minutes, she was gauging me, trying to see if she should press on or not. "That's too young to go through something like that."

"Tell me about it." I wanted to change the subject before I started bawling. I looked over at The Woodsman's axe. "Mind if I take that?" I said gesturing towards it. She looked at it the back at me shaking her head no. I nodded stiffly before I walked over to the axe and picked it up.

I began to walk out of the room, only getting half way there, when the girl called after me. "Hey." I stopped and turn 'till I could see her. "Um. . .I know it's hard to talk about it but. . .it's really a lot easier when you talk to someone about it. . .It really does. . .it gets it all off your chest."

"How do you know about. . .all of this?"

She gave off a fake chuckle. "Well, uh. . .my uh, my father fell in love with me so. . .I know what you're going through."

I was on the breaking point - tears were about to spill from my eyes. I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry about your dad. And, uh, thanks for the advice, but, uh, I'm still trying to. . ." I cut myself short.

She nodded quickly. "Don't worry, I understand completely. Just. . .don't hold it inside you too much longer. It'll drive you mad and will break you down."

I nodded, blinking the tears away.

"My car." I heard Toad say distressed. Oh man that car must have been Mr. Toad's.

I heard a low grumble of pain. "Hey Toad. . .uh. . .How good is your insurance?" Bigby chuckled.

I laughed slightly._ Oh Bigby, in pain and still cracking jokes._ "I can't be mad at you. I called you and you come to help. I can't be mad, but even when you help things end up more _Fucked_ than they started!" There was a slight pause. "Well at least your not fucking dead."_ What? He's being nice to Bigby, even though he-_ I was cut off by the sound of The Woodsman's growl and the sound of glass moving against metal.

"Shit, Bigby." I muttered before I bolted out the door with the girl right on my heels. When we reached the bottom of the stairs Mr. Toad was wobbling quickly through the door and to his apartment. I gave him a short glance before I bolted through the door, looking for The Woodsman and Bigby.

"C'mon out! I know your fucking in there! C'mon out You fucking dog! I'll put you out of your misery." I heard The Woodsman say to my left. I whipped my head to his direction. He was holding Bigby by the neck above the ground, and he was helplessly hitting The Woodsman's arm. "C'mon." The Woodsman growled.

I was running towards them and the world seemed to slow down. _Please no, please not Bigby, not my friend, not the only person I care for._

The Woodsman was saying things that I didn't understand and Bigby was turning purple, his eyes were not their normal, glowing brown color. They were now stained yellow showing that he is about to change form_. I can't let that happen. Things could get dangerous for Bigby._ I lifted the axe up getting ready to gank The Woodsman, I just wanted to to wait for the right moment. To make sure that I knock The Woodsman out cold.

I was a mere foot away from The Woodsman, I let out a war like scream and hacked the axe into the back of his head. He stood there for a moment like he was stunned by what happened, then his grip loosened on Bigby's neck and falling over onto the hard cement.

Bigby was swaying left to right - about to fall over, due to the lack of oxygen. I ran towards him, catching him between the bus stop poster and my body. "Bigby, oh my God, are you okay?!" I asked frantically, searching his returning brown eyes.

He looked at me with a painful expression. "Rubie. . .there's glass. . .in my back."

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" I moved backwards, still holding his weight, so his back was off of the Bus stop advertisement.

He let out a sigh of relief. "It's alright."

"I thought. . .Bigby I thought-" I cut myself short almost on the break of tears. I looked down hoping that he wouldn't see the tears that began to swell in my eyes.

There was a slight pause. "You thought what, Red?" He said, just barely above a whisper. I kept my head and eyes down, still holding Bigby up, as I tried to think of something to say._ You're one of the only things I hold dearest to my heart. . .I know it may not seem like it by the way I tease you and hit you and seem to have a short temper. . .but you are. . .the **most** important person in my life right now. . .and it will kill me if I was alone once again._ I wished I could have said that, because it's all true, but I didn't want the. . .thing we had between us shrivel up and have the awkwardness fill the room when we're both in it. "Red? . . .please look at me. . ." I slowly let my eyes creep up his body until I was looking at his face. "Now, tell me what you were going to say."

I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the lump that began to form. "I thought. . .you. . .moved on." He looked confused. "As in. . .I thought you died. . .I thought The Woodsman was going to. . .uh. . .strangle you to death."

He hugged me closer, enveloping me in his embrace. "Well it's a good thing that fables don't die easily." He smirked.

I gave him a small smile."Yeah, it's a good thing."

We stood there for a moment as I waited for Bigby to either let go of me or to keep talking. He sighed a small huff of air. "Are you okay?" He asked looking at my forehead where I could feel a bruise beginning to form. Then his eyes shifted to my upper arm where he dug his fingers into my skin. Then his eyes returned to me.

"I'm better now." I said just above a whisper. _Wow Rubie, really? You sounder so girly, so preppy so. . .weak._ I smiled slightly, hoping it would make up for the girly thing I just said.

His face was at ease as our eyes found each other. I couldn't help but feel my heart rate begin to increase as I realised how close we were. My body was pressed up against his rock hard abs, my head could reach his chest if I was to lean in a little closer, but I didn't want to take my eyes off him.

My eyes began to wander around his face, trying to calm my speeding heart. He was staring at me with an expression of. . ._Adoration_? I knew that face well for I had a few friends who had a real Happily Ever After, where their prince would stare at them like this. _Why are you looking at me like that?_ My eyes softened, a small smile appeared on my face as I thought of why he was looking at me like this. I slightly bit the side of my bottom lip as my nerves began to get the best of me.

His face slowly grew a smirk, his eyes now roaming my face. I began to open and close my eyes slowly, as if I was in a dream_. . . .wait. . .a better question is. . .why am I staring at you the same way?_ Time seemed to have stopped. All I could think about was how his hands were on the small of my back. How his face was so close to mine. The feel of his breath on my face. This strange, warmth and fuzziness that began in my heart, then spread throughout my body.

His eyes geared his way to look back into my sapphire eyes, then his eyes jumped to somewhere that is lower on my face then up to my eyes. Repeating ever so slowly. _What is he looking at? . . .Do I have a zit there? Shit, I totally do, don't I?_

I was embarrassed and I began to back away from him, or so I tried. He had a strong grip on my back keeping me in place. He looked up to my eyes then back to where his eyes were, repeating the pattern as he licked his lips._ If he's not looking at a zit, what is it? . . .chin? No, that's not it. Cheek? No he's looking directly down not to the side. . .my lips?_ The realization of what he was looking at came completely shocking._ You're looking at my lips, and licking yours. . .oh my God. . ._ My breathing became more irregular than what they already were, my heart pounding so hard I would be surprised if Bigby couldn't feel it.

He slowly inched his face closer to mine, making it almost impossible to notice. On instinct, I began to tilt my head upwards to meet Bigby's tall form compared to my short one. Our lips came closer and closer together I could share the same air as him. He stopped, our lips mere inches from touching each other. We stood like that for a moment before his face changed from adoration to a contemplating look. Like he was deciphering if he should say something or not. He looked down to our close bodies, then looked back up to me. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Red, I think I can, uh, hold myself up now."

Realization struck me hard, like a baseball to a bat. _Shit. Of course he wasn't looking at you with adoration! He wasn't going to kiss you! What the hell were you thinking?! Stupid fucking idiot!_ I let go of him and turned to hide the blush that rushed to my cheeks. Oh God, what have I done?

I look at the girl who was searching The Woodsman's pockets. "Uh, whatcha doin'?"

She took out some coins from his pocket from and looked at it in disgrace. "Great." She muttered madly, throwing the coins back at him and stood up. To my surprise she started kicking him, hard._ I never knew a girl who wore heels could kick that **hard**._

"I hate to break it to you." Bigby started. "But the guys got an axe in his brain, he ain't feelin' that."

She turned her head slightly. "Its more for me. He'll be fine."

"I'll fucking kill you, you fucking bitch." The Woodsman mumbled.

Once he said those few words, I felt it again. The hatred boiling within me again. Everything that he's done to me in the past up to today, to the girl and to Bigby. I walked over to him and stared at him like he was Satan himself. "Let me help you with that." I remarked through gritted teeth. I stomped my foot onto the axe that was in his head. It was what seemed like halfway through his skull, but it wasn't enough. _He needs to suffer **more**. For what he did to this girl. For what he did to Bigby. But most of all. . .what he did to me._ I grabbed one of my daggers out of my boot with one knee on either side of him. I raised my dagger and plunged it into his back. Over and over._ This is what you get for demanding a reward! This is what you get for almost killing Bigby, twice! This what you get for smacking that girl! But most of all, this is what you get for tying me to a bed, ripping my clothes off of me and then raping me!_ There were already several holes in his back, but I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop.

I was about to plunge the dagger into him again but I felt hands grab my wrist. Fear captured my soul instantly."No! No! Let me go!" I dropped my dagger and tied to release myself from the grasp. I was crying fast hot tears, flowing out of my eyes like a river as a memory flashed in my mind:

_He slammed the door shut and put a chair under the door handle. My grandmother was pounding at the door begging him to stop._

_"Please Mr. Woodsman don't do this!" I cried in fear._

_"I deserve a goddamn reward after saving you from that monster!" He hollered as he advanced towards me, like a predator hunting his prey._

_"Well right now, you're the only monster I have seen in all of the years of my life!"_

_His face twisted in anger and he grabbed me by the waist and threw me onto the bed, his body crashing down onto mine. I struggled to get out from underneath him. I smacked him upside the head as hard as I could. His face twisted into anger again and he grabbed both of my wrists with one hand while the other one slid up my dress. "Please, please! I'm begging you! Don't do this please!" I cried out in fear. His hand reached the top of my small clothes and I cried and struggled to somehow get away from him. "Please! Please-"_

". . .please don't hurt me!" I cried. The hands on my wrist moved themselves around my waist and I was pulled off of The Woodsman and into a strong embrace. I scrambled to get out of the clutched arms around me by smacking the thing behind me, but it grabbed both of my hands and held them down. "Let go! Let go of me!"

"Rubie! Rubie, you need to calm down!" It was Bigby voice. His breath was on my neck. "It's alright, it's me. . .okay? It's Bigby, I'm not going to hurt you, just calm down." He spoke gently. I stopped my thrashing, the only reason why I was still moving was because of my choking sobs that escaped me.

I took a few deep breaths. "B-Bigby, l-let go." He didn't do anything. So I spoke louder. "Bi-gby, let g-oo."

He seemed very hesitant to be letting me go, but he slowly released me from his grasp. Once I had a big enough opening I leaped off of him, beginning to walk back to The Woodlands. I felt his hand grab me and he turned me around. I smacked his hand off of me. "Rubie where are you going?"

"I'm g-going home." I turned around, walking at a very fast pace.

He grabbed me again. "Wait, do you want company?"

I pushed his hand off of me. "No! Just leave me the _fuck_ alone!" I hollered at him. I didn't give him any chance to say anything else, I spun around quickly and bolted for home_. Damnit Rubie, you fucked up!_

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Sooo, what did you all think of this improved chapter? I know it sounds the same as the first time I published it, but it has less grammar errors! Yey!

Stay tuned for the next chapter! Im so excited to be writing again, so I'm pretty sure the next chapter will up very soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****: I do not own "The Wolf Among Us" / the comic "Fables" or any of the characters in them. I also do not own the movie that I got my title from, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Nor do I own any of the songs or bands that I list.**

**This story is rated "M" for Mature content includes intense violence, blood, gore, strong language and slight sexual content. **_**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**_

_Hey guys! I realized how horrible the first chapter was edited. So, I just recently got a new editor and asked him to fix it up! Thank you Ian you're the best! He's also the one who will be editing my stories for now on, so if we all can give him a big round of applause, he will greatly appreciate it!_

_I'm also sorry for the delay on this chapter. At first I hit a writer's block, I had absolutely no clue how to continue it. But then I went in for surgery (x2) and ran into a lot of complications and just had no time to write. But I'm better now! Yay! So now I'm getting back into the kick of things, and I am super excited to be writing again!_

_Also, if there is anyone who is super artsy who is reading my story, please send in some cover ideas! I'm an artist but I can't to the amazing art on the computer and I am the worst photographer EVER! So if any of y'all would like to send in an amazing cover photo for this fanfic, I will love you forever!_

_And if any of you guys are big fans of __**Fallout 3 **__I'm writing a fanfic about that as well! It's called _Fighting for Survival_, It's a fanfic that includes a Lone Wanderer x Harkness and another Lone Wander x OC. That fanfic is a _**SLOW GROWING** _relationship for all four characters. I'm not big on the whole "hey I just met you and this is crazy, but you look sexy, so fuck me maybe." But nonetheless, read that and tell me what all you lovelies think! _

**With that being said...**

**Enjoy ^·^**

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Rubie

I tumbled through the door of my apartment. I was out of breath, yet the sobs of my past escaped me, echoing through the empty apartment. I cried the entire way home. I tried to stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks, I really did. I tried sucking it up like I did for so long, I tried telling myself: 'it's okay, it's alright he can't hurt you anymore'. But nothing worked. What The Woodsman did to me, what I just did to him. It was a movie playing over and over in my head. I would never give mercy to The Woodsman for what he did to me, but the way I reacted was cruel. Forgiveness was too much to ask for.

I slammed my door shut and didn't have the strength to go any farther. My feet seemed to have been swept out from underneath of me. I came in contact with the floor in front of my door, and continued to bawl, unable to stop.

_Rubie, stop!_ I shouted to myself over and over. That didn't work. It just seemed to make me cry even harder. So, I just let them go. Everything that I held inside of me. The rape, the hatred, the bad dreams, losing my grandmother. Everything.

I wished that there was someone there with me, for me._ Why did I push Bigby away?_ I asked myself. _He offered to come with me. He wanted to be here_. My weeping escalated when that thought crossed my mind. _Bigby, my boss, my friend... my only friend that wanted to help me. And you pushed him away, just like you do to everything. You don't want to get too attached to someone or something that will disappear. So instead you have become this hollow piece of shit._ I hugged my knees even closer to myself as I began to shake violently.

I was on the floor for what seemed like forever, but I knew that only a few minutes had passed. Even when I was young, whenever I cried, it didn't last very long. My wailing slowly turned into little gasps of air. The tears that flooded my eyes trickled down my face.

_I'm glad I got that off my chest._ I thought to myself. _Maybe I could go onto an early vacation. I could bake something for everyone and tell them 'Bon voyage !' That's what I'll do. I'll bake something._ My thoughts ran through my head one right after another. I chuckled slightly at myself. Even when I was a child, if one small thing was going wrong in my life, my first and only instinct would be to bake.

_Old habits die hard I guess._

I slowly pushed myself off the oval rug that welcomed me home. I put all of my weight against the light blue wall to keep myself from falling. My knees kept wobbling, nearly buckling in on themselves, trying to force me to lay on the ground once again. I refused._ I was a weakling for a half an hour, no more of that bullshit tonight, Rubie. Just keep standing._ I cheered myself on. My knees stopped quivering and I nodded in victory after a long effort. I wiped under my eyes to get rid of the remaining tears that slid down my face and pushed myself away from the wall.

I stood perfectly still, making sure that I wasn't going to fall over. I took a deep breath before I began to stumble my way through the living room and to the kitchen. I pulled my hair out of its loose ponytail and put it into a poor excuse of a bun. It didn't bother me. I just needed my hair out of the way so I could bake.

When I reached the island of the kitchen, I steadied myself against it and rubbed my eyes once again. Somehow my eyes were dry and irritated from crying, yet they were still able to shed tears. _How the hell is that even possible?_ I wondered to myself.

I looked down at the counter and saw my walkman that I bought a few years ago. Mayb_e a little bit of music will cheer me up,_ I thought. I smiled to myself as I grabbed the black and silver walkman off of the kitchen counter. I put on the headphones and turned up the music on max volume. I smiled widely as I was greeted with the song **"Back in Black"** by _AC/DC_.

When this kind of music came out, a decade or so ago, I was very skeptical about it because I was used to the bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. But now, this heavy metal stuff that they are coming out with is awesome. It's the only thing I ever listen to anymore. I do admit that I sometimes put The Beatles or The Beach Boys record on the record player and jam out to them for an hour or so. But their time has come and gone. The music has evolved, and so shall we, or else the fables stick out like a sore thumb.

I hummed along with the music as I washed my hands. I turned the oven on bake, setting the temperature for 375°. I then rummaged through the cupboards, finding every measuring cup and ingredient needed for my grandmother's famous blueberry cookie sandwiches.

I began to pour the different ingredients into a bowl and heard heard five thumps in the music, thinking that it was strange that I never heard it before. Prob_ably because you've got your music so damn high, Rubie._ It came again, but this time it was only three, and it didn't quite go with the beat. For a moment, I thought that it might have been someone at the door. I quickly pushed that thought out of my head though because, _Who's awake at this hour?_

**Bigby**

_Bang, Bang, Bang._

The side of my palm slammed against Rubie's door, loosening the plaque that displayed the door number '304'.

"Rubie... Rubie, it's me, Bigby," I spoke through the door.

I got to the door of her apartment as quickly as all the distractions would allow me to.

After Rubie ran away from stabbing Woody, I desperately wanted to follow her. Hug her closely to me as she wept the past away. The girl that Woody was beating on, however, held me back and said that Rubie needed some time to think, which made me even more pissed. Wh_o the hell are you to decide when I should or shouldn't talk to my friend?_, I thought in anger.

I decided to try and ask the girl questions once again. She kept talking to me in circles. I'd ask her a question, she would either answer it with a question or ignore it completely. She even asked me if I liked her ribbon. I got irritated after that. _I just saw Rubie have a PTSD episode and you have the nerve to ask me about your accessory? What. The. Fuck._

Shortly after that, I saw that Woody had somehow vanished and the girl left my company. So, I quickly turned on my heels and ran towards The Woodlands.

I knocked straggling Mundies down and out of my way, not bothering to apologize. I slid across the hoods of cars as they were about to hit me. I wanted to make up for the time I had lost.

I encountered Beauty and she spoke so slow and gentle that it took at least five minutes to tell her that I wouldn't tell Beast I saw her. Then it was Beast as I climbed up the three stories of stairs to get to Rubies apartment.

I banged against the door again. "Rubie... Rubie open up. I just want to talk to you." I sighed. "I just want to help you." I murmured to myself.

I was getting ready to knock on the door again, until I heard the most horrifying noise I have ever heard. It was Rubie, screaming. I heard glass break and something fall to the floor. My heart stopped and I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't even have time to think. My body was reacting on instinct.

I stepped back from the door slightly, and kicked it down.

**Rubie**

The song **"Back in Black"** had ended a while ago and I could still hear the strange bang in every song. _It has got to be the walkman, _I sighed. Probab_ly gotta buy a brand new one. I have dropped this one quite a few times._

I looked at the clock on the wall of my kitchen and determined that it was time to take out the cookies. The song **"Another One Bites the Dust"** by Queen began to play on my walkman. I smiled and hummed the tune as I opened the oven door. While being distracted by the music, I forgot the most important thing. An oven mit.

My left hand clutched around the cookie pan and I instantly felt pain ripple through me. My throat became raw with my scream and tears entered my eyes again. I let go of the searing pan and moved backwards until I came in contact with the island. I caught myself on the counter with my right hand, but pushed my grandmother's favorite china plate off in the process, smashing it into a million pieces. I instantly fell to my knees, looking at the plate I broke, knowing that I had no way to fix it. I had no idea what I was crying about. The pain in my hand or that one of the last things of my grandmother's that I owned was just destroyed.

I heard the cracking of wood and a slam of a door, but I paid no attention to it. I was too caught up in grief to care.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt two strong arms suddenly wrapped around me. I screamed even louder as I tried to pry myself out of their grasp. My heart pounded against my ribcage with so much force I was surprised it didn't break a hole through my chest.

One of the arms that was wrapped around me left. The hand took a hold of the headphones that were still blaring **"Another One Bites the Dust"**, then ripped them off my head.

"Rubie, its Bigby. Red, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," He said in my ear. I relaxed into his embrace. "Rubie what happened? Are you okay?" He asked me with worry lingering in his voice.

I lifted my left hand and felt him flinch at the sight. "Another one bites the dust." I chuckled out painfully.

Not even a millisecond passed before he had me to my feet and at the faucet. He turned the water on cold and told me to hold it under the water as he got the first aid kit from the bathroom.

When he left the room, I looked back at my grandmother's china. Tears rolled down my cheek once again. _Tod_ay_ is the worse goddamned day ever, I thought._

That's when Bigby decided to come in. He looked at the tears that freely rolled down my cheeks. "Does it hurt that much, Red?"

I shook my head viciously.

"Then what is it?" Bigby asked, setting the first aid kit on the table before walking over to me.

I shook my head again as I spoke. "That was my grandmother's favorite plate. What a stupid thing to cry about."

Bigby looked at me for a moment before turning his gaze to the broken china. He walked over to it and knelt down, picking up every piece with gentleness that made me wonder if the fable before me was truly Bigby. He stood up carefully, turning around, allowing me to see the busted plate. The tears ran down my face like a river when I saw it. _Not even the most powerful sorcerer will be able to fix this, I thought sadly. _

Bigby carefully set the pieces down on the counter next to the sink before looking at me. I, however, looked everywhere else except at him. This is so embarrassing, Rubie_. Crying in front of your boss? What the hell is wrong with you?_

"Rubie... you crying over this is okay."

"Really?" I asked quietly, still avoiding his gaze.

He nodded. "Yes, you cared for your grandmother. It was devastating for you to lose her. And if this..." He gestured towards the plate. "Was the last thing you had of her's, you don't have a reason not to cry, alright?"

I nodded slowly. Bigby took a hold of my chin gently and lifted it up to where I was looking at him, but the tears lingering in my eyes made my vision foggy.

"Now I know someone who is pretty good at fixing chips in plates and cups. I can give this to her and see what she can do about it, okay?" He ended with a sultry smirk.

"You'd do that? For me?" I asked with a smile.

"No, I'm doing it for all the other plates that are going to miss it more than you." Bigby spoke with sarcasm. He shook his head and chuckled. "Now, let's worry about that hand of yours... how the hell did you do this anyways, Red?"

I let out a sharp chuckle. "Funny story. I got home and I couldn't stop crying..." _Shit, why the hell did you say that? _I cleared my throat. "...and I like to bake when I'm stressed. So, I decided to bake my grandmother's- Ohmygod! The cookies!" I spun around, decorating the room with water droplets.

Bigby grabbed a hold of me. "I'll get your cookies out of the oven. Just keep that hand under the cold water, alright?"

I nodded, spinning around slowly and putting my hand back under the ice cold water. I watched as he walked over to the oven and took the towel from off the handle, folding it three times before he took out the cookie pan. He set it on top of the stove before closing the oven and turning it off.

Bigby walked back towards me, and turned off the faucet. He dabbed as tenderly as he could, but no matter how soft his touch was I still hissed and flinched in pain as he touched my skin.

The tears subsided, allowing me to get a good look at Bigby. A quiet gasp escaped my lips at the sight. He had a cut going down his forehead, stopping at his cheekbone. There were bruises forming on his cheek and under his right eye. Blood was still trickling out of his nose. The Woodsman's hand print was clearly visible on Bigby's neck.

I let my right hand gently dance on his cheek, he slightly cringed at my touch. "Bigby... you look like shit," I said with little humor in my voice.

"Geez, tell me what you really think." He said, chuckling.

_I think you're cute._

_Did I really just think that?_

Bigby lead me to the kitchen table. I sat down and he took the spot right next to me. He rummaged through the first aid kit, taking out some burning cream and gauze.

Bigby asked for my hand and I gave it to him. He daintily dabbed the burning cream on my hand. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from groaning in pain. When he was done, he wrapped my hand delicately in the gauze.

"There. All better." Bigby said with a smile.

"Not you, though" I mumbled out. "Can you give me a wet cloth, please?"

Bigby hesitated before he stood up and grabbed the towel from the oven. When his back was turned to me I felt as if the air was sucked out of the room. There was blood covering his back. _How the hell did he get blood all over him? _My mind thought back to when the Woodsman attacked Bigby, and what he had said: _Rubie. . .there's glass. . .in my back._

_Oh god._

Bigby set down a bowl of water on the table and plopped down in front of me with the wet towel in his hand.

"I'm going to say that I'm sorry before I start. This is probably going to hurt."

"I'm sure I can tough it out," he answered back.

I dabbed Bigby's face in silence, all the while he was looking at me with this sort of puppy dog look in his eyes. It made me feel super conscious about everything that I was doing.

Bigby's nose twitched as I carefully wiped away the dry blood. I wiped his cheeks that were doused with The Woodsman's blood, making his face red and irritated. I dabbed at the blood that had ran down his cheek before getting to the source of the bleeding. I had to stand up to get to the cut on his forehead. He flinched occasionally as I hit tender spots in the gash.

When I was all done, I sat the bloody cloth down in the bowl, and took out some gauze from the first aid kit. I folded up a piece, placing it where his cut was. He hissed in pain and I murmured a soft apology. I then took another strand of gauze and wrapped it around his head to keep the piece I folded up in place. I tucked the loose section of the gauze in between his forehead and the gauze bandage.

I sat back looking at my handy work for a moment before I smiled. "Now can you take off your shirt while I grab a clean bowl of water?" I asked as I stood up to wash out the blood from the bowl.

He cocked a brow. "Why?"

"Because your back is still bleeding." I answered as I filled up the bowl with crystal clear water.

"Rubie, you don't need to fuss about me. Really, I'm fine."

I sat down the water bowl before facing him. "I know you're the 'Big Bad Wolf' and all, but I don't want you bleeding all over my couch. I'm pretty sure you have a hand full of questions that you want to ask me."

"That I do." Bigby answered. He stood up, his height making me seem like a small infant in comparison. His hands fumbled with the tie that was loosely around his neck, in an immense struggle as he tried to take it off.

A sad smile appeared on my face as I got closer to him. I carefully pushed his hands out of the way. He looked at me quizzically.

"Let me help you," I said. "Your hands are probably in shock from knocking The Woodsman around."

Bigby just nodded, looking a little embarrassed that he couldn't even pull off his tie.

I untangled the knot that Bigby created. I took his tie off and set it on his chair. I could feel his pulse increase as I unbuttoned his shirt. I was confused for a moment on why his heart rate was increasing, until I realized what I was doing. I was taking his shirt off. My face turned a bright crimson and I ducked my head down, hoping and praying that Bigby didn't notice it. My hands shook violently as I unbuttoned his shirt, making me curse at myself internally.

"Red, are you alright?" Bigby asked, unable to look me in the eyes.

"I'm fine." I answered frantically. I finished unbuttoning his shirt, and helped him push off his shirt. He folded it up messily, setting it on the chair. I nervously played with my hands, hoping that Bigby would just sit down without me needing to ask it out loud.

Bigby just shrugged and Sat down in the kitchen chair so that his back was facing me.

I sighed heavily, thanking whoever was listening that Bigby decided to ignore my nervous tone.

I turned towards the first aid kit an scrounged around for the tweezers. When I finally found them, I faced Bigby's back and slowly began to pluck every tiny piece of glass that was imbedded in his skin. Bigby would hiss in pain every so often and I would cringe, mumbling apologies.

When all of the tiny shards of glass were discarded from his body, I grabbed the wettened rag and dabbed his skin free of blood that trailed down his back. I quickly got another dish rag to dry his skin.

I threw the rag down onto the table and grabbed the gauze. "Okay Bigby stand up for me." I said politely.

"And what if I don't want to?" He grumbled.

I crossed my arms and arched a brow. "Then you can't ask me your questions and I'll kick your sweet ass out of my apartment."

Bigby mumbled something that I couldn't quite hear, but he got off of the chair, facing me. I tried so hard to keep eye contact with him, but my eyes betrayed me and lingered down his body. My mouth became drier than the Sahara Desert, so I tried to swallow what little saliva I had in order to moist my mouth.

"See something you like?" He asked horsely. My eyes shot back up to Bigby and there was something in his eyes that I didn't recognize, yet I know that I have seen it before.

I laughed nervously. "What?! No I don't see anything I like! I mean you look nice and all but I'm not interested, but you body is very nice. I mean.." I closed my eyes and slapped a hand over my mouth, screamed in my head;_ Rubie shut up, just shut up!_

I slowly peeled my eyes open, revealing a humorous glint in Bigby's eye's and a sexy smirk plastered on his face. A shiver when down my spine, but I wasn't sure as to why. _Weird_.

I chuckled nervously and held up the gauze that I had in my hand. "So, do you mind if I put this around you?" He shook his head and raised his arms. I held the gauze in one place and reached around his body to grab the gauze roll.

I tried to concentrate on tending to his wounds but my eyes just kept roaming his chest every time I got closer to him. I had to bite my lip to keep any strange noises from escaping my mouth.

When I was finished wrapping him up I tucked the end of the gauze like I did with his head. "You can put your shirt on." I mumbled as I turned around and started packing up the first aid kit.

"Rubie." He said, with concern lingering in his rough voice, as I heard his feet shuffle closer to me. I hummed a 'what' too afraid that if I spoke, he would hear the nervousness in my voice. I stopped packing up the first aid when his hands wrapped themselves around my wrists. I gasped as he spun me around to face him. I was expecting him to start talking, either questions or a lecture, but nothing happened not for a long while. He didn't move, I didn't move. It was like the world was frozen.

After a while I saw his hand move, but I kept put. I didn't look up, I didn't move, I didn't speak. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and in those few seconds I felt warm, gentle fingers on my chin. _Bigby? What are you doing?_ I thought as I opened my eyes. He didn't say anything as he gently lifted my head up so that we were face to face.

"Why did you... what hap..." He sighed. "Are you okay?"

I let out a breath of air trying to make it sound like a chuckle. "I just saw my worst enemy, who still claims to have saved my life, I over reacted by stabbing the bastard." My vision became blurry with unshed tears. "So, no I'm not okay." I smiled at him even as the images of my past crossed my mind.

Bigby moved his fingers away from my chin and tenderly stroked both of my cheeks.

Shit, you're crying again Rubie.

"I'm sorry." my voice cracked out as I tried to back away from him, only to run into the table.

"Rubie, you don't have to be sorry." he said closing the distance. "It's okay to show what you are feeling. It's even better to explain why you're feeling it."

No no no, don't let him know, you can't. You cannot be seen as weak.

But you want him to know. You want to let go of everything that has happened. You need to talk about it.

But you don't want to be treated differently, do you? I mean look at the way he's already talking to you. He's treating you like a little kid, like "Little Red Riding Hood".

I instantly wiped my tears and plastered a wonderful fake smile on my face. "I'm fine." I said even as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. "I'm fine." I said trying to convince him and to snap me back to my senses. Bigby tried to wipe away my tears again but I swatted his hands away repeating "I'm fine" over and over.

Bigby caught my wrists holding me still. His hazel irises burned into my electric blue ones. "Rubie, you are not fine. I know you aren't. Stop lying and admit it." His voice told me harshly.

That's when I broke. The sob that I tried holding back erupted from my throat, making it sound even worse than before. It shook throughout my whole body, making my knees buckle in on themselves. Bigby caught me however and held me close to his chest.

'I'm sorry' were the only words that I was able to say. Bigby held me closer to him, if that was even possible, and cradled the back of my head. "It's alright Red," His rough voice grumbled with kindness.

He didn't say anything after that, except for whispering comforting words and rubbing my back. All the while, I was hugging Bigby as tightly as I possibly could, crying my eyes out in the process. And he never let me go, his grip on me never lessened. It made me feel loved. Something that I haven't really felt in a long time.

As my weeping slowly dwindled down, Bigby led me through my kitchen to my living room so we could sit on the dark red sofa. He still held me close as we sat there waiting for the last of my tears to stop. When they finally did stop, Bigby pushed me up gently so that I was sitting upright.

"Rubie, I understand that you need your own personal space and everything, but whatever happened to you really affected the way you did your job today." He said to me in a calm voice. "I need to know what happened to you so that we can try and prevent this from happening again."

I looked down at my hands that were fiddling with each other. Do I tell him? I want to but what if he judges me for it? What if he can't accept what I want through?

"Please, Rubie," his voice cut through my thoughts. "I want to understand what happened. I want to help you."

I looked back up at him and bit my lip, having this internal debate in if I should tell him or not. After what felt like decades, I decided to tell him. "Okay, I'll tell you, but please don't tell anyone else." He nodded, waiting in anticipation on what I was going to tell him.

Well here goes nothing.

Rubie's Flashback

I smiled brightly as I gently put my freshly baked cookies into the basket that I was going to give to The Woodsman. He was so kind! He got me and my grandmother out of the wolf's stomach. I don't understand why he ate me though. He said that he likes me. I shrugged, oh well, we can't dwell on the past can we?

I looked around the room to make sure that my grandmother wasn't around. Cost is clear. I smiled as I snuck a pouch of gold coins into the basket. It was the least I could do for The Woodsman. My grandma told me that I should never give a man coin just for helping me out because the heroines gets to his head, but he saved us from being eaten, I was not not going to give him a little bit of coin for helping us.

That's when The Woodsman walked in. He had a bright smile on his face, up until I tried to hand him the basket.

"What the hell is this?" Anger was slightly apparent in his voice.

I flinched slightly at his tone. "It's for you sir! A basket full of homemade chocolate chip cookies." I answered giddily. "I'm sorry if they aren't your favorite, but they are the quickest cookies that I know how to make. Oh and-"

"Wait a second," he cut me off. "I save you and your grandmother from a goddamned wolf, and all you are giving me are chocolate chip cookies?!" His voice was filled with absolute anger.

"But sir I also-"

"I don't want to hear it!" He cut me off, yet again. "If you won't give me something useful, then I'll just take something from you." The Wooden said in an eerily voice.

I stared at him sided eyed. "And what is it you're gonna take, sir?"

He closed the distance between us, making me back up against the counter. "I'm gonna take what I haven't done in years," he licked his lips eyeing me up and down. "A young girl's virginity." He grumbled out.

Before I could do anything, The Woodsman picked me up, placing me over one of his shoulders. He growled at the back of his throat and he slapped my ass, squeezing it tightly, making me scream out in pain. I then began to struggle against him, hitting his back with my fist with all the strength I could gather.

"Let go of me!" I screamed as He slammed the door shut and put a chair under the door handle. My grandmother was pounding at the door begging him to stop.

"Please Mr. Woodsman don't do this!" I cried in fear.

"I deserve a goddamn reward after saving you from that monster!" He hollered as he advanced towards me, like a predator hunting his prey.

"Well right now, you're the only monster I have seen in all of the years of my life!"

His face twisted in anger and he grabbed me by the waist and threw me onto the bed, his body crashing down onto mine. I struggled to get out from underneath him. I smacked him upside the head as hard as I could. His face twisted into anger again and he grabbed both of my wrists with one hand while the other one slid up my dress. "Please, please! I'm begging you! Don't do this please!" I cried out in fear. His hand reached the top of my small clothes and I cried and struggled to somehow get away from him. "Please! Please! Dog hurt me! Stop!" but it was too late.

He strip away my small clothes, and unbuckled his pants. He pulled out his dick from his trousers and stroked himself a few time before he…

End of Rubie's Flashback

"...before he…" I couldn't find myself to continue, not that I needed to for Bigby to understand what happened.

I looked down and covered my face with my hands expecting there to be more tears, but there wasn't. I guess I've already cried all of my tears away.

Bigby instantly held me against him again, cradling my head like he did before. I uncovered my face so he could hear me clearly. "After he was finished with me, he left me on the bed paralyzed. I didn't know anything that happened until I woke up the next day, I thought it was all a bad dream. I wish it was," I sighed. "but it wasn't." I looked up into his hazel eyes. "and now you know my deep dark secret that I wanted to take to me grave."

His eyes looked down into my soul trying to understand. "Why?...Why didn't you want anyone to know. We could have done something, Rubie."

A sharp chuckle excaped my lungs. "oh yeah, like every other man did in the Enchanted Forest? All they did was laugh and said I deserve it." I shook my head, having my gaze look away from Bigby. "It's whatever though, the past is in the past. No one can change it no matter how much we want to."

"I would have done something." He said in a harsh voice. "I'm the sheriff, I know how to make anyone's death look like an accident."

I head snapped back towards his direction. "No Bigby. You are the sheriff, which means you help people. You are not a hit man, and I don't want you to do anything to The Woodsman, okay?"

"And why the he'll not Rubie?" His raspy voice snapped.

"because I shoved an axe in his head, then I stomped it into his head, then I gladly stabbed him multiple times in the back. I think we're pretty even." I chuckled.

Bigby and chuckled with me. "Yeah, I guess so. But I still wished you would have told e about this. I wouldn't have judged you for it. I want to help you cope with it." He said to me genially.

I smiled. "Well you know now. And I'll try not to keep things from you again." I said as I curled up into a ball, and snuggled into him. My eyes kept unfocusing and my eyelids suddenly became heavy. I yawned quietly before I spoke, "So what happened after I left?"

Bigby began to explain how dumb the girl was and how frustrated she made him, but I didn't understand half of it. And just like a light switch turning off a light, I fell asleep.

Bigby

I knew that she was getting tired so I basically talked her into sleep. When I felt her body loose all tenseness, I knew she was finally asleep. I grabbed the blue blanket off of the back of the couch, being careful to not wake her up, then I covered her and I with it - her legs were across mine as her head laid upon my chest. She snuggled closer to me and sighed, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"You are so beautiful," I found myself saying. "You are so strong. You have dealt with this for so long all by yourself." I tried to whisper, but my grumbling voice betrayed me. "You will get justiuse for what he did to you. I promise." I kissed her forehead gently before I leaned my head back and sleep finally found me.

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Hey guys! I am so so so SO sorry that I had all of you lovely people waiting for so long. I had surgery last year a few days from now a year ago and that's when my first chapter came out, and the I ran into a lot of complications with it and was in the hospital for a while. Then I had another surgery and I had a few complications again (not a siver though thank GOD!) I honestly couldn't wait to put this chapter out there after I figured out how to find how many people read my story, and 100 people read it the first month it came out! Can you believe that?! I was beyond pumped to give this to all y'all that I didn't ask my editor to read the last few paragraphs...I'm sorry I just couldn't wait and I'm sure y'all we're done waiting as well. But tell me what you think leave some awesome review and check out my other fanfic! I haven't gotten real far into that one either but I want to know what you guys think. I will hopefully have the next chapter up in a few months (not an entire year, I promise xD).

Oh! And here's my email for all you wonderful people who want to send me a cover picture (:

Mistyturnner


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